Akira wants to let doctors make house calls through your smartphone

Akira, the latest pitch on The Disruptors, says it wants to ease the burden on healthcare systems with their app.

Akira is like “having a doctor in your pocket.” It provides users with digital access to doctors and nurses to diagnose common medical problems, without having to sit for hours in a waiting room. Users can speak to a Canadian board certified doctor on the app, as well as use it to refill prescriptions or check out a rash.

“We think that in about five years or less, every interaction that you have with the healthcare system will begin virtual and eventually transition to physical if it’s needed,” said co-founder and CEO Dustin Walper.

Co-hosts Amber Kanwar and Bruce Croxon say they think the time is right for a medical app that can diagnose patients remotely. Kanwar also says that doctors are paid by the number of patients they see. “So this might actually allow doctors to take on more patients and thus, get paid more,” said Kanwar.

In October 2016, Akira launched Akira for Families, which lets parents video chat and text medical experts and track their family’s health records.

BetaKit is a production partner on The Disruptors. Tune in to BNN every Thursday night at 7pm for full episodes!

Madonna Dennis is a staff writer at BetaKit. She’s a fourth-year journalism student interested in healthtech. She’s passionate about tight-knit teams working together, which is why she’s so fascinated by startup culture. Madonna’s hobbies include dragon boating, singing, and hosting a YouTube show about cat news.